Ground engaging wagon tongue support



June 1954 o. L. COOK GROUND ENGAGING WAGON TONGUE SUPPORT Filed Nov. 21,1952 INVENTOR. ORV/4L5 L. GOO/f fine/2% ATraRA/Ef Patented June 1, 1954GROUND ENGAGING WAGON TONGUE SUPPORT Orville Louis Cook, Cropsey, Ill.,assignor of onehalf to Mel Cook, Cropsey, Ill.

Application November 21, 1952, Serial No. 321,785

1 Claim. 1

This invention appertains to improvements in supports for wagon ordrafted vehicle tongues and has for its primary object to provide aground engaging support for a tongue which will prevent a tongue fromdigging into the ground and. becoming broken, when the connecting pin isbroken or is dislodged.

A further object of this invention is to provide a detachable runner fora tongue which will support a tongue in a raised position above theground and which will contact the ground in a sliding fashion so thatthe tongue cannot engage the ground when attached to a power vehicle orwhen accidentally or purposely detached therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple, compact andeasily attached and removed ground engaging support or runner for awagon tongue.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit areattained by this invention, the

preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following descriptionand illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein;

Figure 1 is a side elevational of a tongue support in accordance withthis invention and illustrating the same attached to a tongue;

Figure 2 is top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the support.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the supportincludes an attaching yoke or U-shaped frame I2 which is shaped tocorrespond to the cross-sectional shape of the tongue l4 and which, ofcourse, could be changed dependant upon the cross-sectional shape of atongue. In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 12 includes a web 16and parallel legs I8 and 20, each of which has openings 22 to receiveset screws 24. The legs I8 and 20 have a plurality of spaced openings 22in order that the frame can be secured to tongues of varying height,while the opening 26 in the web I6 is located at the center thereof.

The openings 22 in the legs l8 and 20 are in alignment and are adaptedto receive a bolt 28, as seen in Figures 3 and 4. The bolt 28 isillustrated as journalled in the outermost openings 22 in each leg,though it can, depending upon the size of the tongue I4, be journalledin the next openings. The bolt 28 provides a pivot for a ground engagingrunner 30 which has a hearing sleeve 32 formed on one end and freelycircumposed on the bolt intermediate the legs I8 and 20.

The runner 30 consists of a substantially flat plate of suitable sturdymaterial and having a centrally disposed axially extending slot 34,which is provided to permit a pin to extend through the tongue. Thefront end 36 of the runner is closed and curved upwardly, as seen inFigure 4.

A rest 38 is mounted on the upper side of the runner, adjacent its frontend, and is perpendicular to the runner. The rest is preferably arectangular block and has a straight upper edge which seats the tongue,as seen in Figure 1, so that the runner 30 is always inclined downwardlyfrom the tongue.

To retain the runner immediately under the tongue with the rest 38engaging the under side of the tongue, a pair of coil springs 40 and 42are provided. The springs extend between the runner and the legs l8 and20 and the legs have openings to anchor the ends 44 and 46 of thesprings thereto. A bar 48 is welded or otherwise fixedly superimposedtransversely on the runner and has upstanding apertured ends 50 and 52,which receive and support the other ends of the springs. Thus, thesprings constantly bias the runner to a position under the tongue sothat the tongue seats on the rest 38.

To apply support [0 to a tongue M, the frame is slipped over the tongueto the position where the end 36 projects beyond the end of the tongueand is locked in place by the set screws 24. The springs hold the runnerin place so that the tongue M cannot dig into the ground or becomebroken.

Though the best known embodiment of this invention has been describedherein, it is to be understood that other embodiments can be made withinthe purview of the appended claim.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed is:

A tongue support comprising a U -shaped frame adapted to be circumposedon a tongue, means extending through the web and legs of the frameengaging the tongue, a runner having a bearing sleeve at one end, a boltextending between the legs of the frame on which the sleeve isjournalled, said runner having an opposing upstanding curved end adaptedto underlie the free end of the tongue, a rest on the upperside of therunner engageable with the tongue and spacing the runner from the tongueso that the runner is declined with respect to the tongue and springmeans connected between the legs of the frame and the runner for biasingthe runner toward the tongue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,049,597 Patterson Jan. 7, 1913 1,788,339 Shipton Jan. 6,1931 2,509,067 Leach May 23, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date6,383 Great Britain Apr. 14. 1891 546,750 France Nov. 22, 1922

